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May/June 2023 issue

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News

Daily use of power tools put housing association’s employees at risk of HAVS

Open-access content Thursday 7th December 2017
From the archive:  Just so you know, this article is more than 3 years old.

Daily use of power tools put housing association's employees at risk of HAVS

Six employees from Charter Housing Association's maintenance team were diagnosed with the condition after the group launched its health surveillance programme in June 2015.

The Health and Safety Executive's (HSE) investigation confirmed that the cases were likely to have been caused or worsened by the use of vibratory power tools while in Charter's employment.

It also found staff from both the maintenance and refurbishment departments were exposed to hand-arm vibration in their daily work, which put them at risk of developing HAVS. They had not been educated on the risks to their health from vibration, Cwmbran Magistrates' Court was told.

The HSE said Charter had failed to limit the duration and magnitude of vibration exposure to workers and had not implemented suitable health surveillance early enough to identify the issues.

Charter pleaded guilty to breaching regs 5, 6 and 7 of the Control of Vibration at Work Regulations, which cover risk assessments, controlling exposure and suitable health surveillance respectively. It was fined £100,000 and ordered to pay costs of £9,897.

HSE inspector Joanne Carter said: "If Charter Housing had correctly implemented its health surveillance earlier -¦ the six affected employees' conditions may have been prevented from developing or developing into a more severe stage."

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 Contractor plunged 10 m at Elstree Film Studios

Thursday 7th December 2017
Eric Ihoeghinlan, an employee of Gabem Management, fell through a lighting grid hatch on 18 November 2014 while he was recovering electrical cables for BBC Studioworks during a derigging job.He sustained a blood clot to the brain, fractured pelvis and ankles, and a ruptured spleen. An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found there was no edge protection around the hatches of the lighting grids. BBC Studioworks pleaded guilty to breaching ss 2(1) and 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act. It must pay £6,000 in costs.
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 Croydon tram crash report criticises signage, lack of driver controls

Friday 8th December 2017
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 ‘Leading blacklisters’ face legal action

Tuesday 5th December 2017
Unite is seeking compensation on behalf of more than 70 construction workers who were blacklisted by the Consulting Association. The company’s secret database containing the details of more than 3,200 building workers had been used by some of the UK’s largest construction firms to identify potential “troublemakers”, including those who reported safety failings, and deny them work.
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 Alberta law would let workers refuse unsafe work

Monday 4th December 2017
If passed, Bill 30: An Act to Protect the Health and Wellbeing of Working Albertans would protect those who refuse dangerous work from reprisal, including the loss of compensation or benefits. It would also ensure they are educated on potential workplace hazards.
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 *UPDATE* Demolition PC fined £3m in absentia for salt slag plant death

Tuesday 12th December 2017
Principal inspector Clare Owen told IOSH Magazine that Befesa Salt Slags (Befesa) had contracted Spanish firm Porvi Construcciones y Contratas (Porvi) to demolish redundant machinery at its plant in Fenns Bank, near Whitchurch on the Welsh border.“There was a crane on-site and Befesa understood that this was going to be used to provide the support for a large [metal] hopper, so it could be cut away from the structural steelwork holding it and lifted to a place of safety,” Owen said.
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 Council fined for violent mother’s assault on social workers

Friday 1st December 2017
Two London Borough of Brent social workers visited the child’s home on 21 July 2015 to carry out a safety plan assessment when the incident happened. As they were taking notes, the mother struck both social workers over the head with a metal object. One of the workers was knocked temporarily unconscious and later diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. Both received serious wounds to the head.
Open-access content
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